Nepali citizens banned from working in Afghanistan

KABUL (Pajhwok): Days after losing more than a dozen security contractors to a suicide attack in Kabul, Nepal has banned its citizens from working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, Reuters reported on Saturday.

The news agency said the decision was taken after a parliamentary panel asked the government to swoop on traffickers who send thousands of migrants every year to conflict zones, where they faced the risk of exploitation,

Labour Minister Deepak Boharawas quoted as saying: "Our decision is prompted by the security situation in those countries. If our nationals already working in those countries want to return home, the government will make arrangements."

After Monday's attack on a bus carrying Nepali guards in Kabul, the government in Kathmandu stopped issuing work permits for the four nations in the interests of the safety of its citizens.